How To Prevent a Breakout: An Expert Weighs In

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Celebrity esthetician Renee Rouleau already taught us how to get rid of blackheads, so now we’re tapping her for advice on our next burning question: how to prevent breakouts! “While some breakouts may be completely unavoidable, there are a few key tips to follow to help prevent many of them,” she told us.

Click through our slideshow for her tried-and-true tips to stop pimples before they start!

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Don’t Over-Dry Your Skin

Rouleau’s first tip to avoid breakouts? “Don’t over-dry your skin with harsh cleansers and alcohol-based toners!” she says. It may surprise you, but the acne products in your medicine cabinet could actually be making your breakouts worse. How? When fighting a broken-out area, anti-acne products also attack the healthy surrounding skin. “Dehydrated skin cells will trap oil and acne-causing bacteria, which will ultimately cause an increase in breakouts,” she says.

The solution? Ditch the cleansers and toners loaded with alcohol or high amounts of ingredients like benzoyl peroxide. Instead, stick with gentle formulas and use spot treatment products for breakouts instead. (Keep clicking for product recommendations!)

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Use Products Containing Salicylic Acid

“Salicylic acid helps to prevent blemishes and penetrates pores to clear out impurities,” Rouleau says. Luckily, the powerhouse ingredient is common in cleansers, moisturizers, and spot treatments, Rouleau says. “It’s a fabulous ingredient with proven results!”

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Don’t Pick!

You may not be able to prevent every breakout, but you can control how you react—so don’t pick at your skin! “A blemish usually lasts five to seven days,” Rouleau says. “But the red or dark scar from picking at the blemish can linger for weeks—or even months.” Plus, Rouleau reminds us that an ugly-but-intact blemish is much easier to cover than an open pimple!

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Renee Rouleau’s own Anti-Cyst Treatment ($40) is an incredibly powerful spot treatment that won’t dry out the rest of your skin.